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Learning to Do Research Is a Lifelong Skill

Courtney L. Young is the head librarian and an associate professor of women's studies at Penn State Greater Allegheny.

Updated August 29, 2011, 5:05 PM

While the Internet has increased accessibility to information and scholarly resources, this access does not make the research project useless.

Learning to inquire and think critically are important for research papers, essays, presentations and blog entries.

Components of the research process are important for all students. The end product doesn’t need to be a research paper, but the concepts of inquiry and critical thinking are still needed as the foundation of an essay or group presentation.

College and university librarians develop collections to support the institution’s curricula. We provide course-related instruction, teaching students how to develop a search strategy and use materials online and in print collections. This process empowers students to develop a strong foundation for any research project as well as lifelong skills to locate, evaluate and use information effectively. These skills translate to a variety of disciplines and industries. While there may be a shift in what type of assignments or final products (research paper, essay, group presentation, blog entry) a professor desires from her students, the core skills to conceive, investigate and execute the work are the same.

The research process, even if it evolves into writing projects of a different type, is still important.